‘What leadership crisis?’ asks ActionSA, as infighting breaks out in party

The leadership crisis within ActionSA in KwaZulu-Natal is a reflection of the general leadership crisis that has engulfed all levels of society in South Africa, an expert says.

Political analyst Zakhele Ndlovu, from the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN), said the infighting that broke out among ActionSA structures in the province is neither unique to the party nor surprising because it’s a South African phenomenon.

He said many “black parties” in South Africa tend to have one central figure controlling everything and such parties always wanted members to toe the line.

He cited a number of parties that had figurehead leaderships such as the Economic Freedom Fighters under Julius Malema, Inkatha Freedom Party during the leadership of Mangosuthu Buthelezi, Lieutenant-General Bantu Holomisa’s United Democratic Movement and now ActionSA led by Herman Mashaba.

Such parties were built around an influential individual who must have the last say in party decision-making.

Ndlovu was commenting about a spate of high-profile resignations in the KwaZulu-Natal ActionSA branch and the criticism against the party’s top leadership by the members who left.

Among those who resigned were ActionSA eThekwini chair Busisiwe Ntshingila, Umgungundlovu regional chair Mohammed Khan and ActionSA women’s forum leader Monica Mgaga. They all expressed dissatisfaction with the ActionSA leadership’s alleged tendency of undermining members while prioritising whites and Indians.

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But ActionSA national chair Michael Beaumont hit back and rejected any claim that the party was facing a leadership crisis. “We are talking about only six people who had a political agenda. It’s not a mass movement of people who left ActionSA.”

According to Beaumont, the party made the mistake of recruiting a bad calibre of leaders in KwaZulu-Natal, a move he attributed to the fact that they were under pressure to appoint leadership and in the process made these mistakes.

“I do not think the leadership appointed by the former chair in the province were the calibre we wanted in the party. The calibre of people that was recruited wasn’t right, there is the question of ethics and there was evidence that they were infiltrated to destabilise the party and that is something we need to look at very carefully as we build the party,” Beaumont said.

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He conceded those who left occupied senior positions in the party. “Honestly, from a leadership perspective, we have not recovered from the departure of Makhosi Khoza, but the priority is to get strong leadership in the province.

“Remember the [provincial executive committee] does not win votes, it is the branches and membership that bring votes,” Beaumont said.

ActionSA had not lost in KZN but was forging ahead with recruitment and setting up party structures. “We have 13 branches in rural Zululand who have shown commitment to work for the party,” Beaumont said.

But UKZN’s Ndlovu said the fact that those who had left ActionSA complained about “handlers” who controlled them was an indication that they had expected ActionSA to be different.

“There is a leadership crisis in South Africa in general in all fields, be it sports, education, politics and so on. It’s not limited to KZN or ActionSA.”

– ericn@citizen.co.za